It was with bittersweet feelings that I saw new posters up in our neighborhood with pictures of fallen soldiers and the caption: “Ad Hanitzachon!” (“Until victory!”)
Bitter because of all the soldiers and civilians who have been killed in the Hamas onslaught of October 7 and the ensuing war. And sweet because the posters are a welcome balance to the huge banners we have seen for months calling for the Gaza captives to be brought home “now!”
Let me explain “balance,” and qualify it. “Until victory” is the exact opposite of “Bring them home now!” For Hamas to release the hostages “now,” Israel would have to accede to all of its demands – which would mean accepting defeat in the war. And let’s be honest: Freeing the hostages by surrendering to Hamas is not “victory,” even though the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and their supporters have been telling us for months that it is.
On the other hand, the posters calling for “victory” express the feelings of the fallen soldiers and their families – or at least the vast majority of them. All that I have heard from those families and from the soldiers still fighting is that, this time, we must not stop until Hamas is destroyed.
Ending the war before victory is achieved means that the fallen have died in vain. It’s not me who is saying this: The families of the soldiers on the battlefield are saying this. The soldiers who are still fighting are saying this. And the fallen soldiers said this before they died.
According to most reliable reports, this victory is achievable and is coming closer every day.
No one is talking about eliminating the “idea” of Hamas, just its ability to do evil. There may be people in other parts of the world who still fervently believe in Nazism, fascism, and Communism, but their power to harm others was destroyed on the battlefields of Europe and Asia.
However, to speak about “balance” in the battle of the posters is misleading. The posters that proclaim “Until Victory” are small and printed on cardboard, few and far between, easily torn by wind and passing traffic. On the other hand, the “Bring them home now!” posters are ubiquitous, giant-sized and expensive, printed on cloth. The Families Forum is supported by a huge budget from overseas funders which also pays for full-color personalized shirts, hats, media advertisements, marches, concerts, press conferences, sound systems, cameras, PR speech writers, producers, directors, actors, prime-time TV commercials, and publicity stunts.
There is also no balance because the media, in large part, still ignores the voices of individuals and families who are calling for “victory.” The word is not politically correct and is associated with government policy, which is immediately suspect.
Even though one side has the money, publicity, and celebrity glitter, the poster war reminds us that there are two voices in this crucial public debate.
The writer is the owner of MediawiSe, an agency for advertising and direct marketing in Jerusalem. He writes a web log on Israeli craft beers at www.IsraelBrewsAndViews.blogspot.co.il
